Grazing effects on forb diversity and abundance in a honey mesquite parkland

Livestock grazing is the most common use of rangelands, and overgrazing by domestic livestock has stirred much debate concerning the continued use of public rangelands for livestock production. With the increase of wildlife-related enterprises on south Texas rangelands, there are little data available on the compatibility of livestock and wildlife management and in particular the effects of livestock grazing on plant communities in the semi-arid portions of the western South Texas Plains. The objective of this study was to compare forb diversity and density on rangelands subjected to various grazing under a high-intensity, low-frequency grazing system and nongrazed rangelands under controlled conditions. Four rangeland sites that were moderately grazed during the dormant season and 4 rangeland sites receiving long-term deferment from grazing were selected on the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area, Dimmit and La Salle Counties, Texas. Forb density was estimated with 20×50 cm² quadrats during early spring 2000 and 2001. Forb diversity was greatest on grazed sites. Important annuals such as hooker plantain (Plantago hookeriana) and Rough buttonweed (Diodia teres) were more prevalent on grazed sites. Lazy daisy (Aphanostephus spp.) was more frequently encountered on nongrazed sites. Golden dalea (Dalea aurea), a beneficial perennial, was more common on grazed sites. Long-term deferment from livestock grazing appears detrimental to forb communities. A high-intensity, low-frequency grazing system utilizing moderate stocking rates employed during the dormant season is recommended for enhancing forb diversity and abundance.     

南海北部ODP 1144站中更新世气候转型期有孔虫稳定同位素古气候意义

中更新世气候转型期是第四纪古气候研究的一个特殊时期。利用大洋钻探ODP 184航次在南海北部钻取的1144站时间分辨率高达约290年的沉积物样品，开展中更新世气候转型期古气候变化的研究。在中更新世距今80~100万年前，浮游和底栖有孔虫壳体的稳定氧碳同位素变化揭示出，中更新世气候转型中心，即中更新世革命0.9 Ma左右，南海北部表层海水温度的降低和降水量的增加指示东亚冬、夏季风增强。以中更新世革命为界，水体垂向结构上温跃层和营养跃层的深度从之前的间冰期较浅转变为之后的间冰期较深，底层水与表层水的垂直温度梯度从冰期时较大转变为冰期时较小。轨道尺度上，冰消期时南海北部的表层水、次表层水和底层水的变化几乎是同时发生的，不存在超前或滞后的相位差。千年尺度上，有孔虫的氧碳同位素变化都呈现出非常明显的约0.8 ka和约1.4 ka的气候波动周期。氧同位素0.8 ka滤波显示出：在中更新世气候转型期，较强的信号主要出现在间冰期，有时也出现在冰期，与晚第四纪千年尺度气候波动主要出现在冰期不同，说明中更新世的气候转型不仅表现在轨道尺度的气候周期变化上，同时也体现在千年尺度气候波动的特征变化中。      

Geobiological interpretation of the oxygen-deficient deposits of the Middle Permian marine source rocks in South China:A working hypothesis

To decipher the origin of oxygen-deficient shelfal deposits is significant for tracing the distribution of marine source rocks and interpreting the evolution of depositional environment. The origin of the Middle Permian Chihsia Formation in South China remains a puzzle for long with its evident oxygen-deficient features but diverse benthos. This paper shows a typical Chihsian depositional rhythm composed of the massive and the laminated limestones with ecological and geochemical features. Massive bioclastic limestone from the rhythm was aerobic in paleoxygenation condition indicated by both the ecological and geochemical features. However, a contradictory oxygenation was inferred for the “laminated” counterpart from the rhythm, with the ecological signal being aerobic and the geochemical one being anoxic. The difference in ecological and geochemical indications was interpreted as the instability of paleoxygenation condition in shelf environments, caused by an enhanced paleoproductivity. Rhythmic occurrence of the oxygen-deficient condition might have been stemmed from paleo-Tethyan paleocurrents flowing across South China. __________ Translated from Earth Science—Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2007, 32(6): 789–796 [译自: 地球科学—中国地质大学学报]     

Dominant factors in controlling marine gas pools in South China

In marine strata from Sinian to Middle Triassic in South China, there develop four sets of regional and six sets of local source rocks, and ten sets of reservoir rocks. The occurrence of four main formation periods in association with five main reconstruction periods, results in a secondary origin for the most marine gas pools in South China. To improve the understanding of marine gas pools in South China with severely deformed geological background, the dominant control factors are discussed in this paper. The fluid sources, including the gas cracked from crude oil, the gas dissolved in water, the gas of inorganic origin, hydrocarbons generated during the second phase, and the mixed pool fluid source, were the most significant control factors of the types and the development stage of pools. The period of the pool formation and the reconstruction controlled the pool evolution and the distribution on a regional scale. Owing to the multiple periods of the pool formation and the reconstruction, the distribution of marine gas pools was complex both in space and in time, and the gas in the pools is heterogeneous. Pool elements, such as preservation conditions, traps and migration paths, and reservoir rocks and facies, also served as important control factors to marine gas pools in South China. Especially, the preservation conditions played a key role in maintaining marine oil and gas accumulations on a regional or local scale. According to several dominant control factors of a pool, the pool-controlling model can be constructed. As an example, the pool-controlling model of Sinian gas pool in Weiyuan gas field in Sichuan basin was summed up.     

Paleolimnological assessment of human impacts on an urban South African lake

North End Lake is a polluted and eutrophic freshwater system located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Since the lake is expected to be used for recreational/tourist purposes by 2010, a rehabilitation program will have to be designed. For this reason, we retrieved a sediment core from the central region of the lake to decipher the effect of historical human impacts on the water body. Pre-disturbance paleolimnological inferences indicate that the lake was likely mesotrophic. After ∼1831, when sheep farming activities were undertaken in the catchment, increases in trophic state and changes in sediment composition were observed. After ∼1937, increases in trace metal levels, organic matter, spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) and changes in sediment composition were recorded. The system became eutrophic as indicated by the dominance of the diatom Actinocyclus normanii, a cosmopolitan species often observed in systems where water quality has been dramatically degraded. The conditions worsened after 1986 because of the construction of a storm-water retention system, which intentionally channeled storm-water runoff into the lake. Because of this, extremely high values of fecal coliforms (i.e. 2 × 10⁶ every 100 ml) have been measured in the water column. The paleolimnological information identified the sharp increase in organic content in the uppermost section of the core, and this could be correlated to the operation of the storm-water retention system. Therefore, as an immediate management measure, we suggest that the storm-water retention system should either no longer be utilized, or the storm-water runoff should be treated before disposal into the lake. In addition, an effective sewage system has to be constructed.     

Focal mechanisms of recent earthquakes in the Southern Korean Peninsula

We evaluate the stress field in and around the southern Korean Peninsula with focal mechanism solutions, using the data collected from 71 earthquakes ( M_L = 1.9–5.2) between 1999 and 2004. For this, the hypocentres were relocated and well-constrained fault plane solutions were obtained from the data set of 1270 clear P -wave polarities and 46 SH / P amplitude ratios. The focal mechanism solutions indicate that the prevailing faulting types in South Korea are strike-slip-dominant-oblique-slip faultings with minor reverse-slip component. The maximum principal stresses (σ₁) estimated from fault-slip inversion analysis of the focal mechanism solutions show a similar orientation with E–W trend (269°–275°) and low-angle plunge (10°–25°) for all tectonic provinces in South Korea, consistent with the E–W trending maximum horizontal stress (σ_Hmax) of the Amurian microplate reported from in situ stress measurements and earthquake focal mechanisms. The directions of the intermediate (σ₂) and minimum (σ₃) principal stresses of the Gyeongsang Basin are, however, about 90 deg off from those of the other tectonic provinces on a common σ₂–σ₃ plane, suggesting a permutation of σ₂ and σ₃. Our results incorporated with those from the kinematic studies of the Quaternary faults imply that NNW- to NE-striking faults (dextral strike-slip or oblique-slip with a reverse-slip component) are highly likely to generate earthquakes in South Korea.     

Late Quaternary clay minerals off Middle Vietnam in the western South China Sea: Implications for source analysis and East Asian monsoon evolution

High-resolution clay mineral records combined with oxygen isotopic stratigraphy over the past 450 ka during late Quaternary from Core MD05-2901 off Middle Vietnam in the western South China Sea are re-ported to reconstruct a history of East Asian monsoon evolution. Variations in Illite, chlorite, and kaolinite contents indicate a strong glacial-interglacial cyclicity, while changes in smectite content present a higher frequency cyclicity. The provenance analysis indicates a mixture of individual clay minerals from various sources surrounding the South China Sea. Smectite derived mainly from the Sunda shelf and its major source area of the Indonesian islands. Illite and chlorite originated mainly from the Mekong and Red rivers. Kaolinite was provided mainly by the Pearl River. Spectral analysis of the kaolin-ite/(illite chlorite) ratio displays a strong eccentricity period of 100 ka, implying the ice sheet-forced win-ter monsoon evolution; whereas higher frequency changes in the smectite content show an ice sheet-forced obliquity period of 41 ka, and precession periods of 23 and 19 ka and a semi-precession period of 13 ka as well, implying the tropical-forced summer monsoon evolution. The winter monsoon evolution is generally in coherence with the glacial-interglacial cyclicity, with intensified winter monsoon winds during glacials and weakened winter monsoon winds during interglacials; whereas the summer monsoon evolution provides an almost linear response to the summer insolation of low latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, with strengthened summer monsoon during higher insolation and weakened summer monsoon during lower insolation. The result suggests that the high-latitude ice sheet and low-latitude tropical factor could drive the late Quaternary evolution of East Asian winter and summer monsoons, respectively, implying their diplex and self-contained forcing mechanism.     

江苏南部地区煤层气资源

根据江苏南部地区二叠系龙潭组煤系的分布和规模、煤矿瓦斯涌出特征、煤的产气能力、煤层的储集条件等煤层气地质条件综合研究工作，认为该区煤层气资源存在一定的勘探开发前景，对各典型含煤区块煤层气综合评价出有远景区（A类）、较有远景区（B类）和远景差区（C类）。     

Discovery of Radiolarian Fossils from the Aiketik Group at the Western End of the South Tianshan Mountains of Chinaand Its Implications

The Aiketik Group, distributed at the western end of the South Tianshan Mountains, China, is an important lithostratigraphic unit involved in the South Tianshan orogen. It is separated from the adjacent rocks by faults. Generally, the geologists ascribed it to the Upper Carboniferous according to Pseudostaffella sp., Profusulinella sp. and Fusulinella sp. found from the limestone and sandy limestone of Aiketik. Our radiolarian fossils were obtained from the chert samples collected from the Haladaok section located at the upper Tuoshihan River. The fossils mainly include Albaillella undulata Deflandre, Albaillella paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. aff. A. paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. cf. A. deflandrei Gourmelon, Albaillella sp., Albaillella excelsa Ishiga, Kito and Imoto (?), Belowea variabilis (Ormiston et Lane), Callella cf. C. parvispinosa Won, Entactinia cf. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia aff. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia variospina Won, Entactinia sp., Eostylodicty     

南海海平面高度年循环的特征

根据 ＴＯＰＥＸ／ ＰＯＳＥＩＤＯＮ－ＥＲＳ高度计提供的海平面高度异常资料和并行海洋气候模式（ＰＯＣＭ）模拟海平面高度资料，分析了南海海平面高度年循环特征。结果表明：ｌ月，３月和５月海平面高度的异常值分别与７月，９月，１１月的异常值相反。ｌ月（７月），深水海区与吕宋海峡的海平面高度为负（正）异常，在大部分陆架区和南海的西和南部，海平面高度为正（负）异常。在３月（９月），除海平面高度异常的量级已减少，且较小的ＳＳＨ正异常（负异常）出现在南海的中部以外，海平面高度异常的分布型与 １月（７月）类似； ＳＳＨ的年循环的最大振幅出现在吕宋岛的西北海域；风的季节变化是南海ＳＳＨ季节变化的主要原因。